PRESENTING . . .

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Cover Reveal – Execution in E by Alexia Gordon @alexiagordon #cozy #mystery #LSBBT

Posted in Cover Reveal, Cozy, mystery on December 5, 2019

Lone Star Literary Life EXCLUSIVE!

Lone Star Literary Life is honored to present the cover

of the fifth book in the Gethsemane Brown Mysteries

by Alexia Gordon & Henery Press.

To be released March, 2020

PRESENTING . . .

Synopsis

Romance is in the air. Or on the ‘gram, anyway.

When an influencer-turned-bridezilla shows up at the lighthouse to capture Insta-perfect wedding photos designed to entice sponsors to fund her lavish wedding, Gethsemane has her hands full trying to keep Eamon from blasting the entire wedding party over the edge of the cliff.

Wedding bells become funeral bells when members of the bride’s entourage start turning up dead. Frankie’s girlfriend, Verna, is pegged as maid-of-honor on the suspect list when the Garda discover the not-so-dearly departed groom was her ex and Gethsemane catches her standing over a body.

Gethsemane uncovers devilish dealings as she fights to clear Verna, for Frankie’s sake. Will she find the killer in time to save Frankie from another heartbreak? Or will the photos in her social media feed be post-mortem?

EXECUTION IN E

TO BE FEATURED ON

LONE STAR BOOK BLOG TOURS

MARCH, 2020

About the Author

A writer since childhood, Alexia Gordon won her first writing prize in the 6th grade. She continued writing through college but put literary endeavors on hold to finish medical school and Family Medicine residency training. She established her medical career then returned to writing fiction. Raised in the southeast, schooled in the northeast, she relocated to the west where she completed Southern Methodist University’s Writer’s Path program. She admits Texas brisket is as good as Carolina pulled pork. She practices medicine in North Chicago, IL. She enjoys the symphony, art collecting, embroidery, and ghost stories.

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Spotlight & #Giveaway – Death by Library by Rebecca M. Douglass @Douglass_RM #cozy #mystery

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, mystery, Spotlight on December 5, 2019

Death By Library (Pismawallops PTA Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Independently Published (December 6, 2019
Number of Pages — ~280

Synopsis

The library can save your life… can it kill you, too?

JJ has a new job at the library, which ought to make her happy. But with all those books to shelve, the PTA to run, and a 16-year-old son to raise, there’s never enough time to spend with her sweetheart, police chief Ron Karlson. That’s especially true with Thanksgiving on the horizon and her mother coming to visit, not to mention the PTA’s Holiday Bazaar looming ahead.

When things turn deadly in the library stacks, JJ needs some answers fast, before she loses her job—or her life. She’s determined to learn everything about the victim, and for once the library doesn’t hold all the answers. JJ and Kitty may have to face the ultimate peril: a visit to Mrs. Halsey, the oldest—and crankiest—person on the island.

Amazon – Apple Books – Smashwords – Kobo – B&N

About the Author

After a lifetime of reading, and a decade or more of slinging books at the library and herding cats with the PTA, Rebecca began to turn her experiences into books of her own, publishing her first in 2012. That failed to quiet the voices in her head, but seemed to entertain a number of readers, so she wrote some more, which generated still more voices. Despite the unlimited distractions provided by raising sons to the point of leaving home (and preparing to move without forwarding address if necessary to retain that empty nest), not to mention the mountains that keep calling (very hard to resist the urging of something the size of the Sierra Nevada), she has managed to pen a total of 9 books so far.

For those who enjoy murder and mayhem with a sense of humor, Rebecca’s Pismawallops PTA mysteries (Death By Ice Cream and Death By Trombone, Death By Adverb, and Death By Library) provide insights into what PTA moms are really like. If you prefer tall tales and even less of a grip on reality, visit Skunk Corners in The Ninja Librarian and the sequels Return to Skunk Corners and The Problem of Peggy. For those who’ve always thought that fantasy was a bit too high-minded, a stumble through rescues and escapes with Halitor the Hero, possibly the most hapless hero to ever run in fear from any and all fair maidens, should set you straight.

Why does Rebecca write so many different kinds of books (there’s even an alphabet picture book in the mix!)? We could argue that it’s because she has a rich lifetime of experience that requires expression in—squirrel!

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Spotlight & #Giveaway – Scarlet Fever by Rita Mae Brown #cozy #mystery

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, mystery, Spotlight on November 30, 2019

Scarlet Fever: A Novel (“Sister” Jane)
Cozy Mystery
12th in Series
Ballantine Books (November 26, 2019)
Hardcover: 304 pages

Synopsis

Winter blizzards bring a flurry of cases to solve in this riveting new foxhunting mystery featuring “Sister” Jane Arnold and her incorrigible hounds from New York Times bestselling author Rita Mae Brown.

Frigid February air has settled into the bones of the Blue Ridge Mountains, making for a slow foxhunting season, though “Sister” Jane Arnold’s enthusiasm is not so easily deterred. With the winter chill come tweed coats, blazing fireplaces—and perhaps another to share the warmth with, as the bold hunting scarlets worn by the men in Sister Jane’s hunting club make the hearts of women flutter—until someone’s stops entirely.

Harry Dunbar, a member of the Jefferson Hunt club with a penchant for antique furniture, is found with his skull cracked at the bottom of the stairs to a local store. There are no telltale signs of foul play—save for the priceless (and stolen) Erté fox ring in his pocket. Sister and her hounds set out to uncover the truth: was this simply an accident—a case of bad luck—or something much more sinister?

Steeped in the deep traditions of Virginia horse country and featuring a colorful cast of characters both two- and four-legged, Scarlet Fever is another spirited mystery from Rita Mae Brown.

Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound

About the Author

Rita Mae Brown is the bestselling author of the Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries; the Sister Jane series; the Runnymede novels, including Six of One and Cakewalk; A Nose for Justice and Murder Unleashed; Rubyfruit Jungle; and In Her Day; as well as many other books. An Emmy-nominated screenwriter and a poet, Brown lives in Afton, Virginia, and is a Master of Foxhounds and the huntsman.

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#Giveaway – Fire, Fog and Water by Mike Martin #SgtWildflowerMystery @mike54martin

Posted in Giveaway, mystery, Spotlight on November 27, 2019

Fire, Fog and Water (Sgt. Windflower Mysteries)
Mystery
8th in Series
Ottawa Press and Publishing (October 8, 2019)
Print Length: 280 pages

Synopsis

Sergeant Winston Windflower and his trusty crew at the Grand Bank detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have more than a few mysteries on their hands. Windflower suspects that the three cases—a homicide, a near-homicide and a fire on Coronation Street—are somehow connected, but how is proving difficult to determine, especially now that he must battle his unusually cranky mood, the never-ending winter that has gripped the coastal region of Newfoundland and his new, power-hungry boss.

In Fire, Fog and Water, award-winning author Mike Martin is true to form, retaining the light crime genre for which he is known while delving into the most perplexing social issues of our time, including mental health, addictions and workplace harassment. Windflower must not only solve the drug-and-death crimes that threaten the otherwise tranquil lives of Grand Bank’s residents, he must resolve his own internal conflicts before they consume him as surely as the blaze that engulfed the house on Coronation Street

About the Author

Mike Martin was born in Newfoundland, Canada. He is the author of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series. Fire, Fog and Water is the 8th book in the series. A Long Ways from Home, was shortlisted for the Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award as the best light mystery of the year and Darkest Before the Dawn won for the 2018 Bony Blithe Award. Mike is currently Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers.

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#Giveaway – Ghosts of Painting Past by Sybil Johnson @sybiljohnson19 #cozy #mystery

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, mystery, Spotlight on November 27, 2019

Ghosts of Painting Past (An Aurora Anderson Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Henery Press (November 19, 2019)
Paperback: 264 pages

Synopsis

It’s Christmastime in the quiet Los Angeles County city of Vista Beach, home of computer programmer and tole-painting enthusiast Aurora (Rory) Anderson. The magic of the season fills the air as residents enjoy school concerts, a pier lighting ceremony and the annual sand-snowman contest.

During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Rory plans on painting ornaments to sell at the local craft fair and joining in on the holiday fun. But she finds the season anything but jolly after the house across the street is torn down, revealing a decades old crime. Past meets present when her father is implicated in the murder.

Fearing for her father’s future, Rory launches her own investigation, intent on discovering the truth and clearing his name.

Amazon Kindle – Amazon Paperback – Kobo

About the Author

Sybil Johnson’s love affair with reading began in kindergarten with “The Three Little Pigs.” Visits to the library introduced her to Encyclopedia Brown, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and a host of other characters. Fast forward to college where she continued reading while studying Computer Science. After a rewarding career in the computer industry, Sybil decided to try her hand at writing mysteries. Her short fiction has appeared in Mysterical-E and Spinetingler Magazine, among others. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in Southern California where she enjoys tole painting, studying ancient languages and spending time with friends and family.

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Review & #Giveaway – Turkey Basted to Death by Jodi Rath #cozy #MysteryMonday #CastIronSkilletMystery @jodirath

Posted in 4 paws, Cozy, Giveaway, Monday, mystery, Review on November 25, 2019

Turkey Basted to Death (The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
2.5 in the Series – A Holiday Book
MYS ED LLC (November 15, 2019)
Number of Pages 133 pages

Synopsis

Thanksgiving is here, and Jolie Tucker has had quite the year! She is ready to sit back and relax with family and friends. But this is Leavensport, OH—so get ready for intense therapy sessions, dysfunctional family holiday gatherings, uninvited guests, and an inner-city teen advocate found DEAD—stabbed in the ear with the turkey baster!

Welcome to Leavensport, OH, where DEATH takes a DELICIOUS turn!

Review

The great thing about novellas is that when you have just a little time to read you can still enjoy a book and this one checks off all the boxes – intrigue, love, family, and a killer.

This installment in the Cast Iron Mystery series brings together many elements to create a successful story. Jolie and Ava end up sleuthing (of course), there is a mix of characters from all lifestyles, some intriguing twists and turns concerning the killer, and family that doesn’t understand boundaries…mostly Jolie and Ava’s families!

I was intrigued by Jolie’s visits to a counselor/therapist and the resulting information from her past that we learn. It is heartbreaking on one hand, but perhaps answers some questions on another for Jolie. You’ll have to read the book to find out what Jolie uncovers about her past.

The mystery was intriguing and kept me guessing throughout the whole book. I was quite surprised when the killer was revealed. This was one I didn’t expect but had a few inklings as Jolie was putting the clues together at the end.

I wonder sometimes how Jolie and Ava manage their crazy families. Ava is lucky (maybe?) that her family moved away, but when they come back into town, craziness follows. Jolie somehow manages to keep her family in check (somewhat) considering they all live close by.

This series shows that you can have a complete story with plenty of detail in a shorter length which is perfect to read over lunch or when you have some time to kill. We give this 4 paws up.

About the Author

Moving into her second decade of working in education, Jodi Rath has decided to begin a life of crime in her The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series. Her passion for both mysteries and education led her to combine the two to create her business MYS ED, where she splits her time between working as an adjunct for Ohio teachers and creating mischief in her fictional writing. She currently resides in a small, cozy village in Ohio with her husband and her seven cats.

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Guest Post & #Giveaway – The Wipeout Affair by Rachel Neuburger Reynolds #cozy #mystery @rainyday11

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Guest Post, mystery on November 22, 2019

The Wipeout Affair (Red Frog Beach Mystery)
Cozy Mystery/ Chick-Lit
2nd in Series
Jeepers Way Press (October 17, 2019)
Number of Pages: ~300

Synopsis

There’s trouble in paradise, in the hilarious second book of the Red Frog Beach Mystery Series.

Ready to go back to the beach?

Lexie Milano left her heart in Bocas del Toro, and the new and improved New Yorker makes the big choice to move to the laid-back Caribbean island permanently. Piña coladas, white sand beaches, and a little cabin of her own on the edge of the rainforest complete her picture of the perfect tropical future awaiting her. But if it looks too good to be true, it usually is. . . .

When the body of a beautiful wealthy local is found at an isolated surf camp, the owner calls on Lexie to help him figure out who did it in this delicious whodunit. Reluctant sleuth Lexie first turns to the police, but her sudden access to a treasure-trove of island secrets convinces her it’s time to solve another murder on her own.

Favorite characters from Drowning Lessons return to grace the pages of this comedic mystery, including Migs, the handsome photographer; Lloyd, the genius with the cryptic past; and Lexie’s new best friend, Detective LaGuardia. Between old friends, new associates, and the added potential of shark attacks, The Wipeout Affair will leave you laughing and guessing until the very end.

This is the second in the series but can be read as a stand alone novel.

——

Praise for Drowning Lessons, Book One in the Red Frog Beach Mystery Series

This series is one that I will be watching.
~Baroness’ Book Trove

This story is much more than a cozy mystery. It is a dramedy where literally everything that can go wrong does. Twists, turns, craziness, and good old mayhem fill these pages all on an idyllic chain of islands . . . This was a fun book to read and a great start for this series.
~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

Drowning Lessons is filled with humor from beginning to end, not to mention several twists along the way. It’s the perfect beach read.
~Socrates’ Book Reviews

Great debut for this new series: a compelling plot, a spectacular setting, and bizarre characters, nothing is missing.
~LibriAmoriMiei

Guest Post

The Unlikely Favorite

I’d never written a mystery before Drowning Lessons. I’d read of ton of them but never crafted one myself. I was having a great time working with the main character and maid of honor, on a luxury destination wedding gone horribly wrong, starting with the death of the best man. I don’t believe I’m ruining anything for you, as it happens on page ten, and is also in the description on the back of the book.

I loved the characters I had created for this humorous Caribbean mystery; wicked or not. However, I’d only come up with three suspects and was straining to come up with a convincing fourth. Late into the night during a cold snap in New York City, I came up with the man who became the most beloved of the series.

Lloyd Wilson.

Dangerous. Handsome. Mysterious.

Oh, and he happened to go to college with the groom and the best man.

Did I mention that during their years at Washington College, he was under suspicion but never arrested for a serial killing spree of young blond co-eds? The smartest man at the wedding, with a DR, MBA, Ph.D., and most other titles you could think so. In the introduction document to the bride’s attendants, she wrote in all caps: BEWARE. HE IS SMARTER THAN YOU AND DANGEROUS.

Clear enough.

He was dismissive and quirky, with an unexpected sexy side. This throw away creepy character had become the favorite of the group. Many reader reviews ended with comments like, “Please bring Lloyd back,” and, “I would read book two just to see what Lloyd does next.”

Who am I to disappoint?

In The Wipeout Affair, we are reacquainted not only the main character, Lexie, who returns to live on the tropical island. Lloyd Wilson also stays around to experience the magic of Bocas del Toro. He is an entertaining character, but not one that I’d like to hang out with on any regular basis.

He is a man with no filter who doesn’t particularly like people (though he does enjoy monkeys). He’s opened a medical research laboratory, and dismissive. He’s tolerant of Lexie, but not many others.

People do like quirky.

One of my original beta readers wrote in a comment, “Is it wrong that I have a crush on Lloyd?” My editor and a few other readers made similar comments. One wrote, “Please tell me she eventually gets together with Lloyd.”

Eww. No.

I’ve thought a bit about why he’s such an attractive character. He’s handsome for sure with a brain that won’t quit. Have we been taken a step back to be drawn into men who aren’t particularly nice and on the dismissive side? There are quirkier characters.

Tall, dark, and handsome certainly describes him.

So does my description of him as, “if you can imagine a slightly taller Gregory Peck as a tan vampire, you’d just about be right.”

Lexie can’t end up with Lloyd, right? She’s got nicer gentlemen callers around her.

I ask her, Lexie, please don’t be drawn to the dark side. I hope you agree.

About the Author

Rachel Neuburger Reynolds is the author of the Red Frog Beach Mystery Series. Book 1, Drowning Lessons, was released on May 21, 2019, and the second in the series, The Wipeout Affair, was released on October 17, 2019. She’s also working on a separate series, The Evelyn Bay Murder Mystery series, and has written book one The Death Of A Classic. If all goes as planned you’ll be reading this in 2020. This is the first book of seven in the series. Two of her plays have been produced in recent years. The Silencer, a cautionary tale about the perils of online dating, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, followed by a run in New York. Nepenthe, a one-woman show about the 1960’s Hollywood-fication of the Holocaust had its premiere in London, and she is currently in talks about a film adaptation in 2021. Previous to her life of putting pen to paper, she produced theatre in New York City for fifteen years. Though she bounces back and forth between London in New York my headquarters is in Crowhurst on the South Coast of the UK.

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Spotlight & #Giveaway – The Fever Cabinet by Frankie Bow @Frankie_Bow #ProfessorMollyMystery

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, mystery, Spotlight on November 20, 2019

The Fever Cabinet (Professor Molly Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Hawaiian Heritage Press (August 20, 2019)
(November 20, 2019, all formats)
Print Length: 209 pages

Synopsis

An abandoned hospital, an antique contrivance, and a very modern murder . . .

All Professor Molly wanted to do was teach literature. Instead she’s just been named chair of her department at Mahina State University, and her department has been relocated to a run-down former asylum. She’s buried in paperwork and her dean has assigned her to mentor the department’s new “star”, the prickly Fiona Spencer.

Fiona Spencer had her own reasons for relocating from Oxford to join the faculty at remote Mahina State University. She is willing to put up with the broken air conditioning and constant construction noise in the College of Commerce building (formerly the Territorial Inebriates’ Asylum). She can even tolerate her annoying department head, Molly Barda. But when she finds a body in her office, clamped into an antique medical device, it’s all a bit much. Especially when she becomes a murder suspect.

Now Fiona and Molly have to work together to find a solution. And the answer won’t be found in the back of the textbook.

Amazon – Apple – B&N – Kobo

About the Author

Like Professor Molly, Frankie Bow teaches at a public university. Unlike her protagonist, she is blessed with delightful students, sane colleagues, and a perfectly nice office chair. She believes if life isn’t fair, at least it can be entertaining. In addition to writing murder mysteries, she publishes in scholarly journals under her real name. Her experience with academic publishing has taught her to take nothing personally.

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Guest Post & #Giveaway – Hazards in Hampshire by Emma Dakin #MysteryMonday #cozy @author_mcrook

Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Guest Post, Monday, mystery on November 18, 2019

Hazards in Hampshire (A British Book Tour Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Camel Press (October 15, 2019)
Paperback: Number of Pages 190

Synopsis

Moving to a quiet English village should have been tranquil, but Claire Barclay learns that even an invitation to tea can be deadly. Who killed Mrs. Paulson, the president of the local Mystery Books Club? Was the motive for murder located in the archives of the book club? The members of the books club might have reason to want Mrs. Paulson’s out of the way. She had lived in the village all her life, been involved in many organizations and societies and knew many secrets of the villagers. Was one secret too dangerous for her to keep? She had been wealthy and left her money to a member of the club. Could the legatee have been impatient for her inheritance? Who cared enough to want her dead? Claire, an expert in solving problems in her job as a tour guide, decides to delve into the archives and into the lives of the villagers—and find out.

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * IndieBound

Guest Post

Today we are lucky enough to have Emma Dakin visiting and a look into what Mary Greenwood thinks about all that is going on in this book. She has some good insight and I hope you enjoy her thoughts as much as I enjoyed her POV.

Mary Greenwood’s p.o.v.

Claire Barclay seems like a positive addition to our village of Ashton-on-Tinch We need new people. Heaven knows, we had blundered along with the same set of characters fulfilling their same roles for years. If I didn’t’ teach interesting young people in the local grammar school, I would find it hard to live here. Claire has her own business, a tour guiding business, so she will have the intellectual stimulation of new people with every tour and be content here. She’s probably in her mid-forties, but she has a young mind in that she is curious and interested in people. I think I’m going to like her.

Mind you, she had a rough start in his village. She found Isobel Paulson’s body after someone had murdered her. I can’t think it was Claire who murdered her. Primarily because if she had she wouldn’t have been so stupid as to ‘discover’ the body. Besides, it isn’t likely. She seems stable and businesslike. I can’t see it.

Somebody killed Isobel. I am a likely suspect as I often felt like it. She could be so critical of young people. I can’t stand that. Give them a chance. The least little thing offended her and she’d lash out verbally. I remember when Jack Appleby lost his dog. He wandered around in a daze for weeks, grieving for that charming mutt. Jack had found him dying on the road after a car hit him. Isobel thought his grief was ‘unseemly’ and told Jack to stop being so self-centered. That only added guilt to Jack’s grief. I had him after school very day for a week listening to him processing that devastating lost. He was twelve. She was cruel. Still, I visited her because my mother had, and when Mum died, I felt I should take up that burden I didn’t do it often, because she did irritate me.

Isobel didn’t like dogs so I had to leave my old Gracie at home when I went to her house. Gracie liked an outing and it seemed unfair to deprive her of it. But Isobel wouldn’t even let me in if I had Gracie. She had been an opinionated, snobbish, sometimes rude, old tarter.

But as irritating as she had been, I was sorry she’d died. It seemed as if the village would never be the same, especially since someone hated her enough to murder her and the speculation on who had done it drifted over the village like one of those spectres from a gothic novel. The police were discreet but they were a presence, especially that Detective Inspector Owens from the CID. Nothing much would get past him. The town was rumbling with theories and suppositions. Suspicion fell on everyone, even me.

About the Author

This is Emma Dakin’s first series, set in Britain the homeland of Emma’s grandparents. Emma channels her mother’s inherited English culture along with the attitudes and sayings of the modern Brits. She travels widely in England and at one point this May while traveling through the Yorkshire Moors she had all the tourists on a tour bus looking for a good place to hide a body. As Marion Crook, she has published many novels of adventure and mystery for young adult and middle-grade readers as well as non-fiction for adults and young adults and non-fiction on social issues. Firmly in the cozy mystery genre now, and committed to absorbing the culture and changing world of Britain, she plans to enjoy the research and the writing of cozies.

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